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Snaps Instead of Velcro on a Quilt?

I've been working on my down quilt over the last few days and I started thinking about using a snap on my quilt to secure the head area around my neck just like Nunatak Arc uses on their quilts. I was also looking at HF's own andersj's terrific instructions on how he made his quilt. He not only uses snaps for securing the quilt around the neck, but he also uses snaps to form the foot box as well as helping to secure the quilt around the body in really cold weather.

I was gonna add the neck snap but I am know thinking that I might wanna use snaps to form the foot box also. I am thinking that 3-4 snaps would form and hold together an 18-20" foot box pretty well. Anderj uses larger snaps on his quilt, similar to what you would find on a pair of pants, but I am thinking about smaller snaps like you see on shirts. It looks like the Nunatak uses smaller snaps.

The thought of using a few snaps down the side of the quilt that would mate with snaps that I would add to my Gossamer Gear Thinlight pad, basically making a JRB style pad converter but using snaps instead of Omni Tape.

I'm gonna look at a fabric store in the next few days and check out their selection of snaps as well as getting some pricing on the tool to install the snaps. Anybody see any problems with using snaps instead of Velcro/Omni tape ?

“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett

Is there an English version of this site, are you multi-lingual, or did you just use the pics for a rough guide? It does look like a nice quilt!

I've translated the page before, but I can't remember what I used to do it. I mainly was just looking at the pictures. I have been using Hammock Engineers guide as my main go to in constructing my quilt.

Originally Posted by txulrich

2 questions come to mind.

1) How does the weight compare?

2) Retention strength? Is it going to pull apart because the snaps are too small? Maybe use a bigger one at the very end and smaller ones in between.

1) I would think that using 5-6 snaps (1 on the neck and 4-5 on the foot box) on a quilt would weigh less or about as much as 40" or so of Omni Tape. I can't say for sure because I've never used them. I am hoping to find plastic snaps (see below)

2) One of the main reason I started thinking about snaps is because I have a shirt that uses small plastic snaps. These small snaps have a surprisingly firm hold. It seems to take a lot more force to snap and unsnap the buttons on this shirt than it would to pull a piece of Velcro/Omni Tape apart. I have had to re-secure the Omni tape on my JRB quilts before because it came undone during the night, opening up the foot box.

“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett

Glad you are getting some use out of my directions. Make sure you make it longer than I did relative to your height if you want it to go over your head as a top quilt. Closing the foot end took up way more length that I thought. I'm guessing about 8 inches or so.

Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".

Also have you gotten to using the down we ordered yet? I really like the stuff and was wondering what you thought of it. I remember figuring on 750 fill and was not diappointed. If I remember right the 900 fill down would only save 3oz or so but cost a lot more.

Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".

I've been working on my down quilt over the last few days and I started thinking about using a snap on my quilt to secure the head area around my neck just like Nunatak Arc uses on their quilts. I was also looking at HF's own andersj's terrific instructions on how he made his quilt. He not only uses snaps for securing the quilt around the neck, but he also uses snaps to form the foot box as well as helping to secure the quilt around the body in really cold weather.

I was gonna add the neck snap but I am know thinking that I might wanna use snaps to form the foot box also. I am thinking that 3-4 snaps would form and hold together an 18-20" foot box pretty well. Anderj uses larger snaps on his quilt, similar to what you would find on a pair of pants, but I am thinking about smaller snaps like you see on shirts. It looks like the Nunatak uses smaller snaps.

The thought of using a few snaps down the side of the quilt that would mate with snaps that I would add to my Gossamer Gear Thinlight pad, basically making a JRB style pad converter but using snaps instead of Omni Tape.

I'm gonna look at a fabric store in the next few days and check out their selection of snaps as well as getting some pricing on the tool to install the snaps. Anybody see any problems with using snaps instead of Velcro/Omni tape ?

HC4U, et al,

Snaps have a much higher failure rate, under field conditions... Plus they are not field repairable... depending on the model, they may or not be field replacable.... The metal grommet types are a damage risk to UL nylons, evidence the reinforcement issues of even stronger syl nyl and the reported grommet loss/damages in tarp posts....Also I have personally seen several stuff sacks that use the smaller grommets, the size of the snaps you are considering with grommet failure and consequental material wear and fray....Also, if you use a fair number of them the weight will add up.

The sew on plastic snaps require a considerable number of stitches at each of the security holes, also not good for 1.1 and even worse for momentum/pertex quantum type nylons.

But hey, YMMV.... Let us know how it works for you.

Pan

Ounces to Grams.

www.jacksrbetter.com ... Largest supplier of camping quilts and under quilts...Home of the Original Nest Under Quilt, and Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock. 800 595 0413

Also have you gotten to using the down we ordered yet? I really like the stuff and was wondering what you thought of it. I remember figuring on 750 fill and was not diappointed. If I remember right the 900 fill down would only save 3oz or so but cost a lot more.

I pulled a small amount out of one of the bags just to look at it, but it's been sitting since then, going on about 7 months now .

“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett